Lectures on Jewish Vienna, and My Reaction

touring with the lecturer. and it rained.
see all photos »

Monday 08/07/06

Today we had several lectures on Jewish Vienna. It was so fascinating to hear about the lives of Jewish people in Vienna and how they affected the city and the city affected them. One of the things I really enjoy about history is learning about all of the intricate connections that may at first glance go unnoticed. For example, the relationship between anti-Semitism causing the Jews to be barred from all professions but money lending and their involvement in this profession leading to their protection as special servants. This then led to further anti-Semitism when the money they were providing was no longer helpful. I thought it was also interesting that anti-Semitism seemed to ebb and flow with the events of the time. There doesn’t necessarily seem to be correlation between good/bad times for the city and increase/decrease in anti-Semitism but the fluctuation of events did trigger fluctuations in feelings about the Jews.

It was so fascinating to hear about the lives of Jewish people in Vienna and how they affected the city and the city affected them.

see all photos »

I think it is interesting that the pattern for Vienna’s relationship with Jews can be extrapolated as a pattern for society’s way of using “outsiders.” They are often forced to do the jobs no one else wants. They can be used as scapegoats for the country’s problems. Their success can be mercilessly exploited by the people in power (such as with taxes).

On the way out to Pennsylvania my Dad listened to talk radio the whole way and I heard a lot of debate about the U.S.’s Mexican immigration policy. I thought it was really interesting the parallels there are to that situation and that of ethnic groups like the Jews in Vienna. The debates about what language should be in schools and what rights immigrants should have are similar. After reading about the struggles in Vienna I have a lot more sympathy for immigrants and their difficulties. For example, I’ve always been frustrated with people that immigrate to the U.S. and don’t know English and try to make us speak their language. But I can see their frustration in trying to find a better life and not having the resources to learn English or trying to maintain their cultural heritage and wanting to speak their native tongue. I can also appreciate the necessity of speaking some kind of “common tongue.” Austria chose German; we’ve chosen English. I’m enough of a scifi/fantasy geek to know that it can be difficult to try to make up a new language for this common tongue but it can be good because it doesn’t have the cultural baggage of picking an established language.

graveyard
see all photos »

I have also been thinking a lot about why we find it so important to preserve our historical sites/artifacts and think of it as such a crime when these things are destroyed (like in a war for example). Is this obsession with history healthy for our forward development? Or is it a way to build upon past successes and learn from past failures by having constant reminders of the past around us? I’ve always loved history and for a long time I wanted to be an archaeologist. I think it’s valuable and love seeing old things. But what does it say about our society that we are so obsessed with the preservation of old things?